Antiseptic products don't reduce symptoms of infections

Antibacterial products do not reduce the risk for infectious disease symptoms in households of healthy individuals, find researchers in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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In this study, researchers studied 224 urban households. Households used either antibacterial household cleaning and personal hygiene products or identical-looking products that did not contain antibacterial ingredients.

The researchers asked participants about infectious disease symptoms such as fever, cough, diarrhea and vomiting.

There was no difference in the frequency of infectious disease symptoms between the 2 groups.

Annals of Internal Medicine

They found no significant difference in the frequency of these symptoms between the 2 groups.

In an accompanying editorial, the authors state that the best way to prevent the transmission of airborne infection is to cover the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and to wash the hands frequently.